Today’s expression: “To be on the fence.”

Meaning: To be unable to make up one’s mind.

Example: “Are you going to eat your fries?” “I don’t know. I keep picking up one to eat and then setting it back down. I’m on the fence about whether I’ll finish them.” 

What would you do if you woke up and you were surrounded by aliens?

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And then I woke up.

The light which had manifested itself as a streetlight in my dream was in reality my bedroom light overhead. My heart sank. Who turned on the lights? I sat up and clutched the comforter to my chest. I scanned the room and loosened my grip as I realized the bed sheets weren’t comforting. No one here, I thought.

I was afraid to move. I gazed at the light switch and noticed a shadow above it. A low humming noise came from the opposite side of the room. Before I could react, several rumbling hums, harmonizing, emanated from all edges of my bed as if from a surround sound system hooked up to my bed frame. Instead of panic, I felt unexpectedly at ease. A serene melody filled my ears and soothed my nerves just as quickly as I’d become shaken up.

Curiosity rose to the forefront of my mind. What was the source of this relaxing tune? Appearing out of nowhere, 6 creatures stood (or sat?) on the floor within inches of my bed, 2 on each side and 2 at the foot. There was no pause in their melodic resonance, so I calmly noted these creatures had mastered invisibility rather than apparition. They were small, coming up no higher than the edge of my mattress. Their features are hard to describe due to the fact that they possessed no humanistic characteristics. I couldn’t be any more confident that their fur-like, scaly exterior was a skin or a jacket than I could that their song was produced from vocal cords or instruments.

A pair of syllables came to mind as I tried to decipher the little critters’ origin: placnort. With a strange certainty I understood this is how I’d refer to my musically gifted visitors. As I opened my mouth to greet them, my voice caught in my throat. I glanced towards the light switch where one placnort stood (or sat?) on another to reach the switch. I smiled and waved. The placnort nearest the switch flipped it off and joined the others on the floor. I felt no desire to strain my eyes in the dark. As long as the intricately layered performance continued, I recognized that I’d be safe.

I laid my head on my pillow. From somewhere deep within my being, somewhere beneath my heart and above my stomach, came a noise I can only describe as Gratitude. Tears streamed down the sides of my face as my song melded perfectly with theirs. I had not previously noticed, nor would I have ever imagined that my Gratitude was the missing instrument in the orchestral masterpiece unfolding before me. Accessing a part of my soul that had since been dormant, I understood that the placnorts accepted my Gratitude as part of their own. Sleep returned within moments and brought with it a comfort in knowing a particular peace would last whether I remembered this instance or not upon waking.

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Brain teaser:

Name a country of six or more letters. Swap out two of the letters to name a resident of another country’s capital.

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